Automation of Runway Status Light System

Principal Investigator: John Mott

Researchers at Purdue University have developed a simplified runway status light system to prevent runway incursion incidents. Currently, technologies to prevent these incidents are usually limited to large airports due to the high cost of radar-based detection systems. Small airports are generally reliant on air traffic controllers or in some cases, simple “see-and-avoid" approaches. By using a combination of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data and computer vision modeling, lights can be activated in real-time to indicate runway status to pilots, vehicle operators and pedestrians. ADS-B is already mandated for most aircraft in U.S. airspace, making it widely available to systems of this type.  As a result, this system is a low-cost and easy to integrate option for airports of varying capacities to improve runway communications and reduce risks of incidents. This technology is well suited to small airports looking to reduce the risk of runway incursion through a low-cost approach to automated runway status light control.

Personnel

Students: Luigi Dy